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Isle of the Blessed
The Isle of the Blessed is thought to be the center of the Old Religion and the focus of its power, but, according to the sorcerer Taliesin, magic could be born in the Crystal Cave. History When Uther had discovered that his wife Ygraine can not get pregnant, Gaius sent to the Isle of the Blessed to ask Nimueh for help in conceiving a child. After Arthur Pendragon was bitten by a Questing Beast, Merlin went to Kilgharrah who told him to travel to the Isle of the Blessed and accept the heavy price that he would have to pay to the priestess of the Old Religion he would find there, in order to save Arthur's life. He did so and once again encountered Nimueh. He was told that to save Arthur's life, he had to sacrifice another. Merlin chose to sacrifice his own, and Nimueh gave him a vial of water from the Cup of Life that would revive Arthur. But the life that was taken was not Merlin's, but his mother became ill with a terrible illness that would kill her. Merlin intended to once again visit Nimueh to bargain his own life for his mother's, but Gaius beat him to it, and sacrificed his life for Hunith, who later recovered from the illness. Merlin blamed Nimueh for Gaius' death, and attacked her. Nimueh easily overpowered him in a magical battle, and seemingly killed him. But as she turned her back to him, Merlin rose up and and used magical lightning to strike her down. He then used the power of life and death to revive Gaius, using Nimueh's death as payment. (Le Morte d'Arthur) Around two years later, Morgause gave Morgana a staff carved from the Rowan Tree on the Isle of the Blessed, which she used to awaken the dead in the Great Battle for Camelot (The Tears of Uther Pendragon), but Merlin destroyed it to break the enchantment and save Camelot. In the audio-commentary of The Coming of Arthur: Part Two, it was revealed that Morgana and Morgause's crest when they conquered Camelot, the red tree on a black banner, represents the Rowan Tree, a very important symbol for the Old Religion. A year after their attack on Camelot, Morgana took the wounded Morgause to the Isle of the Blessed. On the shores of the lake, she met a ferryman that she paid so that he would take them to a certain place on the Isle, now invested with Wyverns. During Samhain Eve, Morgause asked Morgana to use her in a blood-sacrifice to tear the veil between this world and the next. After a tearful goodbye, Morgana used her new and terrible powers to open a split in the veil by spilling on a altar her sister's blood. The Cailleach came forward with her people, the Dorocha. Arthur, along with Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table decided to go to the Isle of the Blessed to sacrifice himself to heal the broken veil (The Darkest Hour). Ancient Mythology *The Isle of the Blessed or a similar concept is a recurring feature in many different religions across the world. *In Greek mythology, it is the Elysian Fields, the final resting place for the souls of heroes and virtuous men. *In Celtic belief, the Island of the Blessed is synonymous with Avalon, the Celtic Otherworld. However, historically, the centre of the "Old Religion", the seat of the Druids, was the Island of Anglesey. Category:Old Religion Category:Locations